Maddie Smith, a woman from New Zealand, shared a troubling story on Facebook about her cat, Ruby, who got poisoned after licking a Himalayan salt lamp. She wants to warn other pet owners about the dangers of these lamps and urges them to keep them away from their pets.
One Wednesday morning, Maddie noticed Ruby walking strangely. At first, she and her partner thought Ruby was just cold, so they made sure she was warm before leaving for work. However, when they returned home, Ruby’s condition had worsened. Concerned, they took her to the vet.
At the veterinary clinic, the vets were very worried about Ruby. They saw that she had severe neurological problems. Ruby couldn’t walk properly, hear, see, or even use her tongue to eat and drink. Within just twelve hours, Ruby had lost her basic senses and abilities, and she was very helpless.
When the test results came back, Maddie and the vets were shocked to learn that Ruby had severe salt poisoning. This poisoning caused Ruby’s brain to swell. The source of the salt poisoning was the Himalayan salt lamp in their living room. Ruby had licked the lamp and ingested too much salt.
Ruby’s survival was considered a miracle since salt poisoning is usually deadly for animals. The problem with these salt lamps is that once animals start licking them, they can’t stop because the taste is addictive.
Veterinary experts say that these lamps can be deadly for pets if they consume too much salt by licking them repeatedly. Otherwise, the lamps are generally harmless. Cats, in particular, should only consume about 42 mg of salt per day. Anything above this amount can lead to poisoning.